COLOMBO: The bodies of the 16 followers of Saharan Hashim who died in the explosion when police surrounded them in Sainthamaruthu in 2019 were exhumed on Wednesday, April 27 and samples were collected for DNA testing.
Police Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa said that the Kalmunai Magistrate’s Court had granted permission for the exhumation of the bodies based on a request made by the CID. The bodies were buried at the Ampara Public Burial Grounds.
The bodies were exhumed yesterday in the presence of the Ampara Magistrate Lushaka Kumari Dharmakeerthi.
These bodies were exhumed to determine if Pulisthani Mahendran alias Sarah Jesmine, the wife of Mohamed Hasthun, who carried out the suicide attack on the Katuwapitiya church, is among those who died in the explosion. Mohamed Rilwan, the brother of the mastermind in the Easter bombings Saharan Hashim detonated a bomb in a suicide bid to escape from being apprehended when the police surrounded their hideout in Saintharamarudu on April 19th 2019 killing 17 persons including children. However, while Sara Jasmine was speculated to have been at the location when the blast took place, but the two previous DNA tests that were carried out on these bodies did not confirm she was among the dead.
There is widespread speculation that Sara Jasmine had fled to India. Therefore, in a third attempt to confirm if she was among those killed in the Saintharamarudu blast the CID had requested another DNA test. The Ampara Public Burial Grounds was under tight security during the exhumation and the bodies were exhumed by a group of Ampara Municipal Council workers using a backhoe.The bodies were exhumed and samples were taken under the supervision of forensic pathologist Dr.Ruchira Nadeera.
Officers from the Government Analyst’s Department were also present at the time of obtaining the samples.
Ampara SP Jayantha Ratnayake, Director of the Police Narcotics Division SSP Samantha Wijesekera, SP Jayatilake of the CID, Ampara SP Priyadarshana Herath, Embilipitiya Assistant Superintendent of Police Lasantha Dadallage, Inspector of Police Gentlemen and officials of the State Intelligence Service were also present at the occasion.
